In Manatee, Scott talks jobs

Florida Gov. Rick Scott made a pair of appearances in Manatee County on Thursday morning to tout his credentials on the topic he has staked his political career on more than any other: job creation.

Air Products dedicated its new liquefied natural gas heat exchanger manufacturing facility located across from Port Manatee in North Palmetto Thursday morning. The Air Products’ Chairman, President and CEO John McGlade, off camera, and Governor of Florida Rick Scott along with state and local dignitaries were on hand to talk about what the new facility means to the local economy, state and world wide. (Staff Photo /Thomas Bender)

Scott, a Republican running for re-election this year, started his day near Port Manatee, where he empahsized his administration’s efforts to convince Pennsylvania-based Air Products and Chemicals Inc. to open a new manufacturing plant in the area.

The company, which held a grand opening ceremony for that facility, said it will create 250 jobs tied to its liguified natural gas equipment in Florida over the next four years. Company leaders praised Scott and his administration for helping lead them to Florida.

“We are on a roll,” Scott told about 120 Air Product employees and elected officials at the event. “The most important thing we can do is build jobs.”

Scott said that under his leadership Florida has had record tourism, cut manufacturing taxes, and invested more in improving sea ports — all reasons why companies like Air Products are looking to move to Florida.

“We’ve done all those things in the last three years and it’s clearly working,” Scott said.

Scott reminded the audience that before he took office, Florida had lost 800,000 jobs. The governor then was Charlie Crist, who is now a Democrat and challenging Scott.

Later, Scott took a similar message to Bradenton for the 75th anniversary of Mixon Fruit Farms. There, Scott praised the Mixon family for running a family business for generations and creating jobs.

The jobs issue is expected to be at the forefront in the 2014 campaign. Scott was elected in 2010 after promising to create 700,000 jobs in Florida over seven years. Three years into his term, Scott said he’s up to 446,000 jobs.

But not all of those jobs exist today. For instance, of the 250 Air Products jobs planned for Manatee, just over 50 have been created so far. The rest are promised over a four-year period.

Crist, meanwhile, is expected in Sarasota tonight for a fundraiser at a private residence. His supporters have made it clear that they are ready to fight suggestions that Crist was responsible for the financial collapse that gripped the entire nation.

“Rick Scott’s continued claim that anyone in Florida was responsible for the national economic collapse five years ago is completely nuts,” said former State Sen. Dan Gelber, a Democrat who is support Crist’s campaign. “The economy didn’t crash because of people like Charlie Crist — it crashed because of greedy Wall Street investors and corporate takeover artists.”

Jeremy Wallace can be reached at 361-4966 or jeremy.wallace @heraldtribune.com.

Jeremy Wallace

Jeremy Wallace has covered politics for more than 15 years.
He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4966.
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Last modified: January 10, 2014
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